He has no compunction whatsoever about calling this rape. At least he understands the definition of rape, even if male Republican legislators do not. (Except I think they do. I think these men are deeply aroused at the thought of universal raping of women they disapprove of.) Anyway, this is what he says:

I do not feel that it is reactionary or even inaccurate to describe an unwanted, non-indicated transvaginal ultrasound as “rape”. If I insert ANY object into ANY orifice without informed consent, it is rape. And coercion of any kind negates consent, informed or otherwise.

Doctor? Thank you.

And he counsels fellow doctors on all sorts of means of enacting civil disobedience.

It is our responsibility, as always, to protect our patients from things that would harm them. Therefore, as physicians, it is our duty to refuse to perform a medical procedure that is not medically indicated. Any medical procedure. Whatever the pseudo-justification.

Amen and amen! And he has no illusions whatsoever about the role of doctors in the minds of the nasty Republicans who are devising this state-sanctioned rape:

Fellow physicians, once again we are being used as tools to screw people over. This time, it’s the politicians who want to use us to implement their morally reprehensible legislation. They want to use our ultrasound machines to invade women’s bodies, and they want our hands to be at the controls. Coerced and invaded women, you have a problem with that? Blame us evil doctors. We are such deliciously silent scapegoats.

Yep. That’s it exactly. The right-wingers always use someone else to do their dirty work (and take the blame) whenever they can manipulate things that way.

This doctor then describes several ways that doctors can engage in this civil disobedience. It’s a good list. And I hope thousands and thousands of responsible doctors follow it — you know, until we can throw these Republican Rapists out of office once and for all.

So. One very good, thinking doctor with a conscience has spoken aloud. That’s great.

Now, where are the rest of you, and when are YOU going to fight back against this state-enforced rape and their use of you as the scapegoats??

Because, doctors, all of you who haven’t made a peep since this started? If you don’t disobey these laws or even speak against them — we women WILL blame you. And we’ll be right to do so.

How many months has it been, again, that the neo-Con Republicans and their ilk have been attacking women right and left, with opposition to contraception (a battle that women won forty years ago, for gods’ sake) and unnecessary, invasive medical procedures meant to do nothing except try to shame women and punish them for having sex?

Well, finally the medical establishment is starting to make itself heard.

It would also be medically irresponsible to insist on gratuitous ultrasounds when no medical purpose whatsoever would be served by them.

Which demonstrates what we all know — that the women’s actual health is not the goal of these male Republicans. Bills like this are right-wing men’s attempts to bully and try to make these women feel ashamed, both for having sex and for not wanting to be mothers.

That’s a given. But what I want to know is this: where have these doctors been all this time? Sure, it’s nice that a few of them are finally opening their mouths. But are the people who took the Hippocratic Oath themselves so frightened of these male Republicans, so afraid of losing their jobs or good salaries, that they will silently jeopardize their female patients’ health rather than open their mouths?

This had better be the first salvo in a battle of responsible doctors against ignorant male Republicans. Or we’ll know that the American medical community, too, is more about power and money than about health. The state of the American “health” system already suggests that. I’d like the doctors in the U.S. not to confirm it.

Poor little Republican legislators! They’ve made such pompous pronouncements about how they know what’s best for pregnant women — not to mention knowing whether those women should or should not use birth control — so why are they getting squeamish when women are taking their word for it?

Women have been flooding male Republican legislators’ Facebook pages, seeking advice on everything from tampons to birth control to female anatomy.

You motherfucker, it’s not the EYES you men want to stick your probes into to make women feel awful because they dared to have sex and get pregnant!

Critics say Corbett’s comments show he doesn’t understand how the bill would even work. While the Pennsylvania legislation has been amended to remove references to invasive transvaginal ultrasounds, the language suggests a transvaginal ultrasound could still be required if the embryo is too small. Patrick Murphy, a Democrat running for attorney general, called for Corbett to apologize for his statement. “It’s unthinkable that he would so casually dismiss this by advising women to just close their eyes,” Murphy said.

Is there no end to the casual evil these men are so happy to inflict on women?

About

A semi-personal/semi-political blog, a Canadian view on the world. As Canadian comedian John Rogers says, “Canada is the Designated Driver of North America. The U.S. runs around excitedly blowing things up, while we follow behind with the car keys, shaking our heads.”